New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) reacts to the crowd as he runs off the field after an NFL football game against the New York Giants in New Orleans, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015. The Saints won 52-49.

After the Saints disappointing 2014 campaign, general manager Mickey Loomis and head coach Sean Payton looked around the locker room and didn't recognize the franchise they'd spent nearly a decade building into something special.

Related Content

So, to their credit, they took bold action and cleaned up the mess they had created. Twenty-four new players on the 2015 opening day roster.

Out were cancer cells, like Junior Galette, and players who may not have been as committed as they once were to the organization.

Not one Saints player has ever called out former stars like Jimmy Graham, Pierre Thomas or Kenny Stills, but the implication has been anyone who departed Airline Drive last offseason was no longer a true believer.

In were guys like Max Unger and a rookie class that may turn out to be the best since the famed 2006 group that became foundation pillars of the team's Super Bowl squad.

The Saints now have smart, classy team captains leading the way. Guys like tight end Ben Watson. If there is a finer man in the NFL than Watson, I'd love to meet him.

During the offseason, comments like "getting back to what made us great" and "rediscovering championship DNA" were used ad nauseum by coaches and veteran players. After three consecutive victories, Loomis and Payton have to feel good about the team they have rebuilt.

Yes, New Orleans is still just 4-4 overall, and the playoffs are still somewhat of a long shot, but the Black and Gold are one of the hottest teams in the NFL, and the reason for that is twofold.

For one, talented veterans have meshed with promising youngsters, resulting in the offense and defense playing complimentary football. But don't overlook the fact that this group has remained positive and committed to the cause. There hasn't been any finger pointing, attitude or negativity.

Man-for-man, each player believes in the ultimate goal and has never wavered off point. Quality leadership and good men in the locker room have led the Saints through their difficult 1-4 start. Many people, including me, believed the team's season was over after such ugly early-season defeats.

The start of the season would have been easy for young players to crack. They could have questioned the message coming from the coaches and veteran players after early struggles and lack of success.

But good guys kept the ship afloat and doing that is so much easier said than done.

Former New Orleans Saints head coach Mike Ditka famously nicknamed his 1997 draft class "The Foxhole Class." He said the players he drafted were guys you would want next to you in a foxhole, if you were in a war.

The reference was because many felt Ditka drafted guys who were short on talent but long on heart. Many critics were right. The Saints 1997 draft lacked elite talent.

But I love the term Ditka coined 18 years ago. I look at the 2015 Saints as true "foxhole" guys. Unlike the 1997 Saints, the 2015 "foxhole" guys have elite talent and the intangibles that can keep them alive in the NFC playoff war.

So kudos to Loomis and Payton. The two have seemingly reestablished a culture that breeds winners and leads to championship opportunities.

With a soft schedule the second half of the season, the Saints seem poised for a legit playoff run. I'm not sure the team will finish first to, say, and hoist the famed Lombardi Trophy this season, but I am certain that the 2015 Saints will buck the trend and prove that good guys -- nice guys -- don't finish last.